Roadside tree, what do you think?

[Ekka]

Some-one asked me to have a look at this from a curiosity point of view.

It is a huge duel leadered Hoop pine. what do you reckon ... safe???

 

[Treeman14]

Not knowing the inherent characteristics of the Hoop pine, and basing my opinion solely on the pictures, I would say no it is not safe. But then, I think you already knew that, right? The question now is, what are you going to do about it? I see hazardous trees every day as I drive around. Do we have an obligation to address every potential hazard that we see?

 

[Ekka]

It's very similar to Norfolk pine.

I might email the local council ... but they don't seem to give a **** as they've done nothing about other cases, I'll email the power company too.

I suppose if they dont remove it they could cable it so atleast that might minimise it from splitting but the decay around the base would have to be going into the roots to. I reckon it's a time bomb. Shame though ... awesome big tree.

 

[Lumberjack]

How does the root plate look Ekka?

I think a cable would be the best bet, if not an outright removal.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

That tree looks to me like a 100% removal job !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ross Turner]

100% removal,If the power companies operate anything like they do here the land owner could have it felled free of charge due the risk its has to the power network.

 

[Ekka]

Same here.

Quickly get her down before Guy comes online

 

[BostonBull]

275KV will jump a good 10 feet to get to ground!! This isnt coming from an apprentice arborist either this is from a 6 year linesman. Be tough to get them to shut it down and you probably wont find a crazy/stupid enough crane operator for it! It might already be inducting some energy into it you should drive a ground rod into the ground near it and use it as the ground and test with the hot lead on the tree and see what you have there! Ill bet theres some there!

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

275KV will jump a good 10 feet to get to ground!! This isnt coming from an apprentice arborist either this is from a 6 year linesman. Be tough to get them to shut it down and you probably wont find a crazy/stupid enough crane operator for it! It might already be inducting some energy into it you should drive a ground rod into the ground near it and use it as the ground and test with the hot lead on the tree and see what you have there! Ill bet theres some there!

Now theres something to seriously think about .

 

[topnotchtree]

If the utility companies removed every tree that looks like it may be hazardous to the wires all our electricity bills would be higher than out new truck payments. The power companies simply can't afford to remove trees like that.

 

[JJackson]

I would remove that tree, its my job to sign them up. If it was me the tree would already have at least 20 ft of clearance. It's transmission lines, take the tree out, the cost of an outage on transmission lines more than to take that tree down. The rule we were taught: if a tree falls on to distribution, people loose power & if a tree falls onto transmission, people loose jobs (being the forester/aborist and their boses)

 

[Ekka]

Apparently the residents think it's a really nice tree with character and have argued to keep it.

Well, I just do what I gotta do and report it, the rest is up to the generals.

I checked my electriacal stuff and it says 3m is the closest to get with all the right gear, you could set up a crane and crane the sucker but not my call ... just a farmers paddock there with some sheds so plenty of room for a big crane.

 

[treeseer]

Insufficient Data

for a judgment. How much decay is in there? If you care enough to stop and take pics of the plates, why not take the time to remove the rot and measure the cavity?

Ticking time bomb, my asteroid. You guys see a little decay and say it's inevitable to spread and wreak havoc on humanity. Trees are not defenseless; they wall off decay successfully every day. Why not work with that energy instead of firing up your chainsaws at the drop of every roach turd?

Sorry Dan, not too late. Hey, Free concerts at ISA; I'll start a new post on that.

If they have economic sense, the owner/manager of the tree and wire will use diagnostic tools first, possible cable second, chainsaws last.

 

[Ekka]

Hi Treeseer, where you been?

I didn't do any investigative work because I have no say in it. It's a tree on the roadside. I kept hearing stories about it so I went for a drive, it's out of town about 1/2 hour drive from me down a side road to nowhere.

When you go around the tree there's lots of little holes or marks of sap weeping, not a good sign, if I owned a resistograph I would drill that sucker straight off the bat to see what she's got ... I wouldn't recommend scraping around in there ... lets say it was a bit putrid, some-ones dirty dishes was in there plus it stank!

You would have to do some diagnostics to assess it's health for sure, cable it perhaps, yep, all options ... but firing up the saws my favourite.

 

[treeseer]

Hi Treeseer, where you been?

Workin too much lately.

there's lots of little holes or marks of sap weeping, not a good sign,

Good on ya to note that. I saw some on a pic you posted earlier where you said a VTA showed no problems, but they do show that decay is going thru the trunk.

if I owned a resistograph I would drill that sucker straight off the bat to see what she's got ... I wouldn't recommend scraping around in there ... lets say it was a bit putrid, some-ones dirty dishes was in there plus it stank!

Here's a pic of a tool that is a lot cheaper that a resistograph but it also measures cavities without nasty digging. A tile probe, ~$30. US, a great way to measure decay.

all options ... but firing up the saws my favourite.

A costly bias, like that colonel's who loved to whiff napalm and would not think of making peace with the Vietcong. Peace is Patriotic, and peace with trees is cost-effective. You don't have to be a Lorax, but you don't have to be a Chicken Little either.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

It might already be inducting some energy into it you should drive a ground rod into the ground near it and use it as the ground and test with the hot lead on the tree and see what you have there!

Set up an induction coil to run a yard light by it

 

[rumination]

I have seen enough dissections of Cook/Norfolk pines to know that that tree is indeed a timebomb (sorry Guy). Resistograph would be the first tool to use, and I would bet $100 dollars that the next one would be a chainsaw.

You have termites in your area, Ekka? All of the Araucariaceae are very susceptible to termites, and that tree looks like a prime suspect. Sap weeping on these trees is a red flag for significant internal decay.

Guy, how does that tile probe work?

 

[Ekka]

I'd also like to know how that probe thing works.

Does the cavity have to be open like in that pic?

What do you do if you suspect decay but there's no cavity just swelling ... does that probe work there too?

Hey Rumi, hows that little girl going where the pine fell on her?

 

[treeseer]

Yes the probe only measures open cavities. What do you want for $30, radar? :umpkin: All you do is stick it in and push. Wiggle it around until you find the deepest penetration (no tasteless jokes here). Works vertically, horizontally, diagonally.

The probe is also good for locating rotten roots.

rumi don't apologize; the oozing opposite the open cavity is often a sign of great strength loss. Put together with the split and the targets and the species' issues, I'm not going to chain myself to this one, and I wouldn't dare sit in it to preserve it.

I hear the girl in HI is recovering, but a long way from being a cheerleader again. I wonder if the city's staff will get more training now? Talk about iron knee.

 

[RedlineIt]

OK, WHAT is with the dishes in the cavity?

On a country road in farmland?

Any ideas, Ekka? Bowls and saucers, very odd.


RedlineIt